Here are your Apple rumors and AAPL news items for today:

Rainbow: A wave of images purportedly showing Apple‘s (AAPL) lower-cost iPhone appeared on Asian websites over the weekend, BGR noted. The images show the new iPhone allegedly in its commercial packaging, which is clearly marked iPhone 5C. Unlike previous iPhones, the iPhone 5C is shown in a plastic package, allowing the phone to be seen by consumers before they open the box. The packaging is consistent with Apple’s iPod Touch, which is also available in multiple colors. The new iPhone, which features a plastic exterior casing, will apparently come in a wide variety of colors, including white, blue, yellow, green and pink. Analysts had speculated for months that the lower-priced iPhone would be available in a variety of colors. On Tuesday, Apple released invitations to a special media event on September 10 at which it is expected to unveil both the iPhone 5C and its new flagship iPhone 5S. The invitations came with a graphic featuring bubbles in many colors, possibly hinting at the new colors for the iPhone 5C. The two phones are expected to become available to consumers on September 20.

Strategy: A billionaire investor could be planning to urge Apple to make a big acquisition, Forbes notes. Last month, Carl Icahn revealed that he had acquired a sizable stake in the iPad-maker and had reached out to CEO Tim Cook to discuss Apple’s augmented share repurchase program. Icahn later tweeted that he and Cook would have dinner this month to talk about Apple’s plans. Icahn also holds the largest stake in Nuance Communications (NUAN), a maker of voice recognition software. Nuance was long rumored to have developed the software that runs Apple’s Siri voice assistant, something the company only confirmed earlier this year. Some analysts speculate that Apple could acquire Nuance to bolster Siri and other voice applications for about $7 billion. It would also be potentially a big payday for Icahn, who owns 16.9% of Nuance.

Growth: The iPhone’s share of the U.S. smartphone market continues to grow, AppleInsider notes. According to estimates by Kantar Worldpanel ComTech, the iPhone accounted for 43.4% of the U.S. smartphone market during the second calendar quarter of this year. That compares to just 35.6% of the market in the same period last year. By contrast Google‘s (GOOG) Android operating system saw its share of the U.S. smartphone market fall from 58.7% in the second quarter of last year, to 51.1% of the market during the same time this year. Smartphones running Microsoft‘s (MSFT) Windows ticked up from 3% last year, to 3.5% this year. BlackBerry (BBRY) phones, on the other hand, saw their market share slid from 1.9% during the second quarter of last year, to 1.2% this year. The iPhone also increased its smartphone market share in Germany, the United Kingdom and France, but was almost flat in Australia, and lost ground in China.

For more about the company, check out our previous Apple Rumors stories.